Airborne visits, shows us new models

The good folks at Airborne Bicycles stopped by at Dirt Rag HQ this week to show off their revamped model lineup for Spring 2011.

First off, let’s get one thing straight: This is not the old Airborne. The company that made titainum bikes is gone and the current company is all-new with all-new bikes. The business model is that as a very, very small company (Just two guys, seriously) supported by a bigger company (Huffy) they can sell direct to consumers with very little overhead and take advantage of a warehousing system already in place.

To create their latest models they examined benchmark models from major manufactuers, crafted a similar package and undercut the price by 20-30 percent. They will be offering sales directly from their own web site int the spring, we were told.

Rick, Airborne’s director, described their products as ones that would be perfect for someone who is new to the sport, is looking for a new bike in a different category from their usual riding style or someone who juggles the cost of cycling with other outdoor sports and passions.

But enough of all that. On to the bikes!

First up is this aluminum, hardtail 29er, the Goblin. Spec’d with a full 2×10 SRAM X7 drivetrain, hydraulic brakes and a Rock Shox Reba fork it hits an astonishing $1199 price point.

Next we have a disc-brake cyclocross machine – the Delta – that is ready to crush the competition, or the commute, with all the braze-ons you would need, a carbon fork and a SRAM Apex compact drivetrain with 46/36 chainrings and the extended range cassette. A very race-worthy machine for $1099.

Last up is Airborne’s take on the popular jump/park bike with the Wingman, a 26-inch-wheeled fun machine. It has an aggressivly shaped aluminum frame, splined cranks, Marzocchi DJ-3 fork and dual hydraulic brakes and will retial for $749.

They also brought another prototype model for us to see, but we’re keeping mum on that for now. Keep an eye out for some full reviews in future issues as soon as we can get our hands on production models.